Child care · County · South Carolina
Child care centers and preschools in Aiken County, SC
The child care centers and preschools in Aiken County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #272 of 1,611 scored counties
#11 of 33 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 18
- 2 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 49
- +81.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $30.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $437 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 69% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.6
- 55% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,515
- +7.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Aiken County
The site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Aiken County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in Aiken County spend about $30.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $437 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.7M per center, 69% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 18 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Aiken County as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 11%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 2.6 for every 10,000 households, 55% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 49 businesses with payroll in Aiken County classed as child care services, up 81.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 272 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Aiken County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Aiken County grew 7.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Aiken County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #272 of 1,611 scored counties and #11 of 33 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Aiken County compares
The same measures for South Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all child care and other personal services by the child care centers and preschools counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Aiken County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.6 | 4.3 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,427 | 2,033 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +81.5% | +13.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $437 | $438 | $581 |
| Median household income | $70,609 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 72 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 49+81.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 251
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 272Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 182 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Aiken County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Aiken County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,515+7.3% since 2020
- Households
- 69,916
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,071 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $70,609+37.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,371
- Median home value
- $218,000
- Jobs located here
- 65,453
- Daytime population
- 171,299Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Aiken County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the child care centers and preschools on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Aiken County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardChild care and preschools across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Aiken County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beaufort County, SC | 89 | 33 | 4.0 | $1.4M | +8.9% | #20 of 1,611 |
| 2Kershaw County, SC | 80 | 8 | 3.0 | $1.4M | +11.6% | #82 of 1,611 |
| 3Dorchester County, SC | 80 | 24 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +10.1% | #87 of 1,611 |
| 4Berkeley County, SC | 80 | 37 | 3.9 | $1.2M | +18.7% | #88 of 1,611 |
| 5Pickens County, SC | 79 | 12 | 2.3 | $1.7M | +5.7% | #92 of 1,611 |
| 6Lancaster County, SC | 79 | 13 | 3.2 | $1.5M | +18.3% | #93 of 1,611 |
| 7Horry County, SC | 76 | 60 | 3.8 | $1M | +20.9% | #150 of 1,611 |
| 8Anderson County, SC | 75 | 28 | 3.3 | $1.2M | +7.7% | #160 of 1,611 |
| 9Charleston County, SC | 74 | 87 | 4.9 | $1.2M | +6.4% | #177 of 1,611 |
| 10Greenville County, SC | 73 | 105 | 4.8 | $1M | +10.6% | #204 of 1,611 |
| 11Aiken County, SC | 69 | 18 | 2.6 | $1.7M | +7.3% | #272 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Aiken County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
- Child care and preschools69
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Aiken County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 child care centers and preschools in Aiken County. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 81.5% from 2019. Official counts list 272 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Aiken County, SC spend on child care and other personal services?
About $30.6M a year, or $437 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,916 households in Aiken County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Aiken County, SC compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Aiken County has 2.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 55% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.7M, 69% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Aiken County would have about 31, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 81.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Aiken County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Aiken County at 181,515 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,916 households. Median household income in Aiken County is $70,609, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.4%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Aiken County scores 69 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #272 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Aiken County. It maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for child care centers and preschools · All 56 business types in Aiken County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Aiken County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Aiken County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.